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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 08-28-17 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION August 28, 2017 Regular Meeting DRAFT Members Present: Maureen Bartz,Mike Eliason,Baxb Farrell, Scott McDonald, Craig Nelson, Dave Speich,Lincoln Tilson Members Absent: Bryan Feldhaus,Jim Young Staff Present: Dan Schultz, Director of Paxks and Recreation and Sonja Honl, Recording Secretary Others Present: Kara Hildreth, Reporter from TownPages, Mike McMenomy,resident. 1. CALL TO ORDER: Eliason called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 2. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA: 3. APPROVAL OF THE JULY 24,2017 MEETING MINUTES: MOTION by Farrell to approve the minutes of the J�y Za,2017 meeting. SECOND by Nelson. Ayes: 7 Nays: 0 Motion passed. 4. AUDIENCE INPUT: None 5. DISCUSSION (Response to Audience Input): None 6. OLD BUSINESS: a. Freedom Trail of America—Schultz had contacted the representatives from the Freedom Trail group to get answers to some of the questions the Commission had about the group's new version of the trail. The group's responses were included in the Coinmission packet,and Schultz reviewed each of them. The group is asking if the Commission is comfortable with the name change and the 11 stations/statues representing the Bill of Rights and the Red Bulls.They are seeking support and direction from the Commission,and once they receive that, they will bring their plan to the City Council. Their current plan is only a concept plan,and the statues included in the concept plan are only examples and not the final choice for the plan. The Commission felt that it was hard to approve this project without a firtn plan and without knowing the budget. The Commission still had questions about some items including: 1.The focus on the Red Bulls, (who may at some point leave Rosemount),instead of honoring all of Rosemount's service people. Schultz also explained that the group feels that the existing veterans'memorial monument at Central Park honors Rosemount service people who have served in all branches of the military,and the group's plan is for something different than that. 2.The Commission stressed that the educational information for the Bill of Rights theme needs to be factual and accurate,and any statues should be accurate depictions,too. They felt that because the Bill of Rights is about concepts,it is very difficult to represent it with statues,and that statues may not be the best way to get these concepts across. Something simple and meaningful,possibly a boulder with the Bill of Rights on it and benches for contemplation,would be more suitable. 3.The Commission asked who would be maintaining the trail,statues,lighting,etc.,once they are built. Schultz explained that the group would pay fox the lighting and any repairs that would be needed to statues,bricks, etc.,and City staff would do other maintenance. 4.The Coxrunission mentioned that with the space available,there would be a station/statue every 125',which is crowded.They also noted that parking will be an issue;there is limited space for parking,buses,and the crowds that the group is anticipating. The Commission wanted to encourage the group to work with the veterans who maintain the current memorial. The Commission recommended a website,www.m�billofrights.com,which might help guide the group in decision-making and firming up their concept plan. They felt that the group would - 1 - PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION August 28, 2017 Regular Meeting be better served to honor the entire National Gua.rd,and include mention of the Red Bulls and all the other divisions. The Commissioner Farrell also noted that she's concerned about light pollution,and asked that this be kept in mind when planning the lighting for the project. b. Parks Master Plan Update—Section 3 of the Park,Trails and Open Space System Framework was included in this month's packet. It's a guide to be used by City staff,Commissioners,and others for decision making for future development. Schultz reviewed the items in this section,as well as the Parks Classification Systems and Trail Classification Systems charts that are part of it. Schultz explained that he had looked at the Parks Classifications for other cities,and found they are very vague and often don't include the size for the different categories of parks. In reviewing Trail Classification Systems chart,he noted that the City has not had snowmobile trails for many years and he will talk to the Ciry Attorney about removing the snowmobile trail classification from the chart. 'I'his will come back for approval at a future meeting. 7. NEW BUSINESS: a. Director's Report—The park improvement fund balance as of Ju1y 31,2017 was $779,952.32. Dedication fees of$129,200 were received. No grants or donations were received. Interest was $47.56. There were expenditures of$563,804.35 for Greystone Park construction costs. Run for the Gold—T'he 3151 Annual Run for the Gold was held on 07-22-17. The turnout was excellent. We received a letter praising our event from Brad Gluth,who is a co-chair of the Twin Cities Maxathon. The Run fox the Gold is co-sponsored by Scott Chiropractic and Run MN. RAAA Facilities Request—The Rosemount Area Athletic Association Board had asked that we shift the focus from building the ball fields at UMore to completing the Flint Hills Athletic Complex,but in order to do this, funding is needed. Schultz brought this item to the City Council and they agreed with the change,and also thought the concession building should be built at the same time. Funding is currently being researched. In-kind contributions are a possibility and would be helpful,but additional funding would still be needed to complete the project. Naming rights or finding a large donor are also possible sources for funding. Schultz will bring back more on this item,including the budget for the Flint Hills Complex. The Commission asked if there was any discussion about including turf fields and how much they'd cost. Per Schultz, this has been talked about and the cost of a turf field is about$1.3 million. Upcoming Playground Replacement—Four playground replacement projects are coming-up. Schultz will bring back more information on this in September. We hope to be able to work with Kids Around the World aga.in. They remove and refurbish playground equipment and deliver it to other countries where there's a need for it. McMenomy Woods Update—Schultz introduced Mike McMenomy who had stopped by to see if the McMenomy property was going to be discussed at this month's meeting. Schultz explained to the Commissioners where McMenomy Woods is located,and provided a litde background about this area. This will be discussed at a meeting in the near future. Inver Grove Heights Ice Parmership—Schultz will be meeting with the Rosemount Area Hockey Association (R.AHA) representatives tomorrow for an update.The long-term impact of a partnership is still being considered,and scheduling and timing negotiations are on-going. Schultz may bring an update on this back in September. 8. ADJOURNMENT-MOTION by Farrell to adjourn the meeting. SECOND by McDonald. Ayes: 7 Nays: 0 Motion passed. 'I'he meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Sonja Honl,Parks and Recreation Secretary -2 -